The Only One Left
by Riley Sager
Bestselling author Riley Sager returns with a Gothic chiller about a young caregiver assigned to work for a woman accused of a Lizzie Borden-like massacre decades earlier.
At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope
Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life
It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.
“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead
As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.
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Martial Peak Reviews
Riley Sager's The Only One Left is a masterful blend of Gothic suspense and psychological thriller, weaving a tale that is as haunting as it is captivating. Set against the eerie backdrop of a decaying mansion on the Maine coast, this novel invites readers into a world where the past refuses to stay buried, and secrets linger like ghosts in the corridors of Hope’s End.
The story centers around Kit McDeere, a home-health aide who arrives at the enigmatic Hope’s End to care for Lenora Hope, a woman accused of a gruesome family massacre decades earlier. The setting is 1983, but the shadows of 1929 loom large, casting a pall over the mansion and its sole inhabitant. Sager's choice of setting is deliberate, evoking a sense of isolation and decay that mirrors the unraveling mystery at the heart of the novel.
One of the most compelling aspects of The Only One Left is its exploration of the unreliable narrator. Lenora, confined to a wheelchair and rendered mute by strokes, communicates with Kit through a typewriter. Her offer to reveal the truth about the night of the murders is tantalizing, yet fraught with ambiguity. As Lenora taps out her story, readers are drawn into a web of half-truths and misdirection. Sager skillfully plays with the notion of truth, leaving both Kit and the reader to question what is real and what is fabrication.
The character development in this novel is particularly noteworthy. Kit McDeere is a protagonist who embodies both vulnerability and resilience. Her own troubled past adds layers to her character, making her more than just a caregiver; she is a seeker of truth, driven by a need to understand the darkness that surrounds her. Lenora Hope, on the other hand, is a study in contrasts. Her frailty belies a sharp intellect and a potentially dangerous cunning. Sager's portrayal of Lenora is nuanced, allowing readers to empathize with her plight while simultaneously fearing her potential for malevolence.
Thematically, The Only One Left delves into the nature of guilt and innocence, exploring how perceptions can be manipulated and how the past can shape the present. The novel raises questions about the reliability of memory and the stories we tell ourselves to cope with trauma. Sager's narrative is rich with symbolism, using the decaying mansion as a metaphor for the corrosive power of secrets and lies.
In terms of pacing, Sager maintains a steady tension throughout the novel, with each revelation adding to the mounting suspense. The atmosphere is thick with foreboding, and the sense of dread is palpable. Sager's prose is both evocative and precise, capturing the Gothic elements of the story while driving the plot forward with relentless momentum.
Comparatively, The Only One Left shares thematic similarities with works like Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. Like these classics, Sager's novel is steeped in atmosphere and psychological complexity, exploring the interplay between environment and psyche. However, Sager's modern sensibilities and penchant for twisty narratives set his work apart, offering a fresh take on the Gothic tradition.
Overall, The Only One Left is a tour de force of suspense and storytelling. Riley Sager has crafted a novel that is both a chilling mystery and a profound exploration of human nature. The book's impact lingers long after the final page is turned, leaving readers to ponder the nature of truth and the shadows that dwell within us all.
For those who appreciate a well-crafted thriller with a Gothic edge, The Only One Left is a must-read. It is a testament to Sager's skill as a storyteller and his ability to create worlds that are as unsettling as they are enthralling.
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